It was announced by the NCAA on Tuesday that the USC football program has been fined $50,000 and placed on a one-year probation, among other minor penalties, due to a violation of "on- and off-field coaching activities."

The NCAA announced that USC had "eight analysts for the football program engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities during spring 2022, fall 2022 and spring 2023, resulting in the football program exceeding the permissible number of countable coaches by six for two academic years. As a result of the violations, the parties also agreed that football head coach Lincoln Riley violated head coach responsibility rules. ..."

"Because Riley was not personally involved in the violations and demonstrated that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance and monitored his staff, Riley rebutted his presumed responsibility for the violations occurring before the rules change. For the same reasons, the parties also agreed that a suspension penalty for Riley was not appropriate."

Aside from a year of probation and the $50,000 fine, the NCAA Committee on Infractions levied that USC will be restricted from having the special teams analyst in practice and film review for six consecutive days during two weeks of the 2024-25 season.

A restriction for the remaining analysts from practice and film review for six consecutive days during four weeks of the 2024-25 season will also be imposed and the school will self-impose a reduction in countable athletically related activities for the football program by 24 hours during the 2023-24 season.

Ryan Dougherty, who was then the special teams analyst, was promoted to special teams coordinator this year as the NCAA removed what was previously a limit of 10 full-time assistant coaches. Schools could employ as many "analysts" as wanted but that role came with limitations on what those individuals could and couldn't do in terms of coaching players.

"Since learning of potential violations related to our football program in May 2023, USC has worked cooperatively with the NCAA enforcement staff and with the Committee on Infractions, as we identified and acknowledged violations, issued corrective measures, and submitted a negotiated resolution in a timely fashion that was approved by the Committee," USC athletic director Jen Cohen said in a statement.

"We remain committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical behavior and integrity in our athletic programs."

Speaking after practice Tuesday, Riley mostly deferred to Cohen's statement.

"You know, Jen made a statement. I honestly don't really have anything to add," Riley said. "We've had that behind us now for multiple months and have been past it. I know the way that these things work in this world is announcements aren't able to come out a lot sooner. Honestly, it's something I'd love to be able to discuss more and go into, but we've got way more important things than that right now getting this team ready for this game, and that's where our focus will stay."

Riley was further asked what systems were in place to make sure USC stayed within the guidelines of acceptable roles for its analysts and whether it was a gray line.

"It can, and that's I think one of the challenges that we all face is you could work at 100 different institutions and the definition of all that and how it's interpreted is going to be different 100 different places," Riley said. "I think you see what the level of penalties that were levied. I mean, in this day and age, the head coach responsibility thing, it's a big deal and we get it. If it's something very serious, they're going to suspend the head coach, so I think that kind of says what it was.

"We don't take it lightly. We own the things that we have to correct and we move forward."